Medvegrad, a medieval fortress with a spectacular panorama of Zagreb and its surroundings, was the ideal setting for an exciting MasterChef gastroduel. This time the task of the candidates was to choose a wine that will serve with a carefully created fine dining menu to raise the overall gastronomic and presentation experience to a higher level. The fine-dining menu included cold and hot appetizers, main course and dessert, and KUTJEVO winery prepared an impressive number of different wines, so that candidates had the opportunity to master the basics of proper tasting to help them with the demanding task of eno-gastronomic pairing.
The KUTJEVO winery is a symbol of Croatian wine culture with a tradition of wine production dating back to 1232. The Extremely significant potential of Kutjevo wine region terroir, chefs and sushefs met through a tasting of high quality and premium series of award-winning wines.
The tasting began with high quality Graševina, a concentrated and characteristic wine of pleasant duration, and continued with Rosé Premium wine with accentuated freshness and subtle aromas of fine fruitiness. This was followed by the more mature and complex Maximo Oro, a blend of Graševina and Chardonnay, rounded, harmonious wine with fine delicious aromas and pleasantly defined fruity character, and Graševina de Gotho, the successor to last year’s Decanter platinum. Of the red wines, Pinot Noir de Gotho was tasted, a wine with a lighter body, pleasant freshness, well-composed tannins and a pronounced character of red berries, after which the candidates tasted Maximo Nero, a blend of cabernet sauvignon, merlot and syrah, a wine dominated by dark berry fruit flavors, fuller body and more pronounced tannin structure. The Ice wine of graševina 2009 vintage and Traminer 2011 vintage left no one indifferent, and the choice of thick, sweet and delicious dessert wines was a real challenge when pairing.
The wines that candidates have the opportunity to taste and choose for pairing are ideal for top gastronomic restaurants and chefs who know how to recognize the potential of pairing complex aromatic wine profiles with a variety of dishes and different gastronomic styles of cuisine. Our goal was to educate the candidates and encourage their creativity through tasting and recognizing the diversity of texture, aroma and style of each wine. The way you prepare food is as important as the choice of the main ingredient. Likewise, thinking about the texture of a dish when paired with wines is an equally important process. Achieving harmony of taste and increasing the intensity of pleasure, both in food and wine, is not an easy task, but the candidates have shown courage and desire to present the adopted information in the best possible way,.
MasterChef, one of the most popular and watched entertainment TV formats in Croatia, brings together contestants determined to improve their knowledge and skills, and present their passion for cooking to an expert jury and the general public. The judging panel is composed of top chefs who evaluate the culinary, presentation, team and many other abilities of the candidates from episode to episode. From season to season, MasterChef popularizes gastronomy, creates and discovers the potential of candidates whose talents deserve the attention of the profession, often changing the lives of participants.
The MasterChef concept is fully in line with our goal, which is to popularize the culture of wine and table, as an indispensable segment of creating a true experience. We are proud to participate in the promotion of eno-gastronomy, given that we are a country with a rich, diverse gastronomic tradition and wine scene that deserves the attention of both the domestic and international public. Finding the best culinary talent through a series of culinary challenges inspires millions of viewers of this hit TV show around the world and changes the perception of the gastronomic scene, which is always looking for people who will offer new interpretations and creations in cooking, as well as pairing it with wines.
Watch one of the most-watched MasterChef shows – gastroduel in Medvedgrad for free on novatv.hr!